Calculating machine



March 3, 1936. AVERY' 2,033,088-

CALCULATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 7, 1931 L EQ 6 FIE E 5 /7 MA /6 /68 28/1 M 24 26 25 /6A /5 20 j 7 INVENTOR. /4 M6 2/ 27 22 Ham/0 0 A TTORNEY Patented Mar. 3. 1936 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE v 2,033,088 CALCULATING MACHINE Harold T.

Avery, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Marchant' Calculating Machine C ompany, a

The present invention relates to calculating machines of the type embodying a displaceable carriage, and more particularly to mechanism for displacing said carriage from order to order.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shifting mechanism having a single manipulable member which is adapted to control an ordinalstep-by-step movement in either direction. Another object of the invention is to, provide shifting mechanism having a single manipulable control member adapted to control ordinal stepby-step movement in either direction and to control; free movement of the carriage in either direction for a plurality ofordinal steps. Another object of the invention is to provide shifting mechanism for a displaceable carriage in which said carriage is normally locked in position, said lock being released under control of a member which is adapted to determine a plurality of types of shifting operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple shifting mechanism which is easily assembled and which is reliable in its operation. Other objects will appear. as the description progresses.

The invention possesses a plurality 'of advantageous features, some of which will be set forth at length in the following description where that form of the invention which has been selected for illustration in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the present specification, shall be outlined in full.

In the accompanying drawing the invention is shown embodied in a calculating machine of the general type disclosed in the British patent to Friden, Number 185,852 accepted September 14, 1922, to which reference is made for a disclosure of such mechanisms as are not described herein. While one form of apparatus embodying the invention has been shown, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that particular form, since the invention, as set forth in the claims may be embo'died in a plurality 0r other forms. It is evident that the invention may be embodied in any calculating machine having a displaceable carriage.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a right side elevation of a calculating machine with part of the casing broken away to disclose the shifting mechanisms Figure 2 is a front view of the base plate'of a displaceable carriage, showing the shifting mechanism mounted thereon.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the displaceable carriage showing the shifting mechanism mounted thereon, the rack with which said shifting mechanism cooperates being shown in section.

The calculating machinecomprises a base I, so in which suitable selecting mechanism is mounted, as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent to Friden, and a displaceable carriage 2 in which the registering mechanism is mounted. The carriage 2 is slidably supported upon rollers 3 Journaled'in the base or the machine and which con- 5 tact the base plate 4 of ,the carriage.

A single manipulable control means is provided for controlling lateral displacement of the carriage. Said means comprises the handle 6 which is loosely pivoted at l to the base plate 4 of the 10 carriage and extends forwardly through an opening in the carriage cover plate. The pivoting of handle 6 on the stud is sufflciently loose to allow it to be moved vertically through a considerable angle, said handle being maintained in its upper 15 positionby means to be described hereinafter. The handle 6 near its pivot point is provided withtwo depending ears 8 and 8 which extend downwardly through suitable apertures in the base plate 4 and" lie immediately in front of a 20 lever II which is pivoted on the under side of the base plate 4 at I! (Figure 3). Said lever II is maintained in its forward position by a spring I3 tensioned between said lever and a stud 0n the base plate. Pivoted to the free end of lever 25 II at I4 is a bellcrank it which is normally held by spring il in the position shown in Figure 3 in which a forward extension ISA of said bellcrank is positioned against the lateral extension of said lever ll. The said lever ii "and bellcrank i6 pivoted thereon provide means for controlling the release of the carriage locking mechanism during stepby-step movement of said carriage, as will be more fully described hereinafter. 3 Means are provided for locking the carriage in. any ordinal position thereof, said means'comprising a pair of locking dogs or pawls l8 and I9 pivoted to the under side of the base plate of the carriage at 20 and 2], respectively. Said dogs are 40 provided with oppositely beveled noses which are adapted to engage in the. same notch in a rack 22 secured to the base platepf the machine, being maintained in engagement with said rack by a pair of compression springs 23 and 24, respec- 45 tively, which are compressed between said dogs and suitable extrusions onguiding member 26 (Figure 3). Said guiding member 26 is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending fingers which lie on opposite sides of said dogs and prevent vertical displacement thereof. It will be noted in Figure 3 that the dog l8 prevents lateral displacement of the carriage to the left, while dog I! prevents later'al displacement thereof to the 7 right. 55

Means are provided for releasing the locking means to permit step-by-step movement of said carriage in either direction. Said means comprises the lever II and bellcrank l6 pivoted to the free end thereof as previously described. Said bellcrank I8 is provided with a lateral extension IGB which overlies and is adapted to engage the tails of dog I9 and a pawl 21 pivoted at 2| (Figure 3) the other arm of said pawl being provided with a nose which lies between one tooth of rack 22 and a leftward extension NBA on the locking dog I8. The arrangement is such that movement of lever 6 in either direction through ear 8 or 9 rocks said lever II rearwardly about its pivot l2, lateral extension I 63 on bellcrank l6 serving to depress the tails of pawls I9 and 21, thereby raising the noses of locking pawls I8 and I9 from engagement with the carriage rack 22 so that the carriage is free to be moved.

Means are provided for limiting the lateral" movement of the carriage to a single ordinal step when said handle 6 is oscillated. The bellcrank I6 is provided with a rearwardly extending arm which terminates in a cam I60, and when the bellcrank I6 is moved rearwardly by slight movement of lever 55, the said cam end is moved into engagement with a notch of the rack 22, the said 'bellcrank having been rocked slightly in a countor-clockwise direction due to the resistance offered by springs 23 and 24. When the locking dogs I8 and I9 are free of the rack 22,-the lateral pressure on handle 6 becomes operative ,to move the carriage laterally. As the carriage thus moves the cam IGC is forced past a tooth of the rack which rocks the bellcrank 18 in a counterclockwise direction on its pivot 5. This movement carries the ear IBB clear of the tails of pawls l9 and 21, thus permitting the locking dogs I8 and I9 to fall into engagement with rack 22 under the pressure of springs 23 and 2 Due to the opposite beveling of the faces of the noses oft said dogs, the locking dog designed to check move ent in the direction in which the carriage is mov ng'; will be in a position to enter'the notch of the rack well in advance of the carriage coming to a full step position and therefore will be in position to block more than one stepof movement of the carriage. When the full one-step movement is completed, the other dog is free to fall into the notch oi the rack and prevent dis placement of the carriage in the other direction. Means are provided for completely releasing the displaceable carriage under the control of the manipulable member 6 to permit lateral displacement thereof through a plurality of ordinal steps in either direction. Said means comprises a lever 28 which is pivoted at I2 and is held by a tension spring 29 in engagement with an upward ear of a guide member 3|. Said lever 28 is provided at its free end with a lateral extension 28A which lies immediately forward the tails of pawls I 9 and 21, said lever 28 being also provided with an ear 28B intermediate its length, which lies immediately to the rear of a lateral extension 9A of ear 9 so that movement of said lever 6 downwardly, rocks lever 28 about its pivot causing the lateral extension 28A. on the free end thereof to rock pawls I9 and 21 in a counter-clockwise direetion to release locking dogs I8 and H! from rack 22. Thus the carriage isfree to be moved either to the right or to the left by pressure upon handle 8. Said handle, in its downward position,-

lies intermediate a pair of pins 32 which serve to prevent oscillation thereof on its pivot. Said pins also serve to prevent vertical movement of said handle in other positions than its central'one.

- pressure of spring I3 acting on lever l I and ears 8 and 9. Ear 8 or 9, depending upon the direction in which pressure is applied, becomes eifective to rock lever II which, through lateral extension IEB on bellcrank I6, rocks pawls I9 and 21 to 'rock the noses of pawls I8 and I9 out of engagement with the rack. This movement also engages the rearward cam face IGC with a notch of rack 22 and upon the ensuing lateral movement, a tooth of rack 22 moves said cam face forwardly rocking the lever I6 counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure 3 to release pawls I9 and 21, thereby permitting the noses of pawls I8 and I9 to engage the tooth of rack- 22. As the carriage moves by the first tooth the nose of pawl l8 in the shifting to the left falls into the notch due to the beveling of the right hand face of said nose, and the straight left face of said nose engages the next tooth 22 and limits the movement of the carriage to one ordinal step. At the completion of the movement, pawl l9 falls into the same notch in rack 22 and the straight face on the right side thereof prevents movement of the carriage to the right so that lateral pressure applied to handle 6 in either direction, with said handle in its upper position,

. results in a one-step displacement of the carriage in the selected direction.

' To release the carriage for free movement in either direction, the handle 6 is moved to its lower position where it lies between the pins 32 which serve to prevent oscillation thereof on its pivot. Such downward movement causes oscillation of lever 28, the lateral extension 28A of which depresses'the tails of pawls I9 and 2'1, causing disengagement of locking dogs l8 and I9 from rack 22 so long as the handle is maintained in depressed position, so that the carriage may be moved to any desired ordinal position. When the handle 6 is released as the carriage is entering the desired position locking dogs I8 and I9 engage the aligned notch in rack 22 thereby positioning the carriagein the selected position. Suitable means are provided for limiting the travel of the means.

2. In a calculating machine having a shiitable carriage, shifting means for said carriage comprising mechanism including a cooperating pawl and rack for latching said carriage against movement, and manipulable means for releasing said latching mechanism including a single member operable in response to carriage movement in either direction for disabling said releasing means.

- HAROLD T. AVERY. 

